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ES-335 Pickguard Swap


eho18

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Hi there,

 

I've been a Les Paul player since 2001 but have always loved the 335. After some long hard thought i've decided i'm finally going to pull the trigger on a beautiful 2013 spec 1959 ES-335 Dot Plain Top in Faded Cherry. Everything about it is perfect, from the sound, feel of the neck and of course it looks gorgeous. The only slight niggle I have with it is the long pickguard. To me, it just doesn't look as good as the short one. Obviously this is not a deal breaker, i'm still going to get it but I was wondering if it's possible to firstly get a short pickguard that will fit, and secondly what is the procedure for fitting it. I've done a bit of research online and it seems that there needs to be some drilling and glueing which frankly, I don't think is worth it for such a minor issue. Having never owned of these guitars I just assumed it would be as easy as replacing the pickguard on a Les Paul but obviously not.

 

Thanks in advance for your replies.

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There are some human variables in the manufacturing process of a 335, so off-the-shelf aftermarket parts need to be properly "fitted" to each guitar.

 

If you look at a replacement pickguard such as this one:

http://www.allparts.com/PG-0818-037-Black-Short-ES-335-Pickguard_p_2724.html

 

... you'll see all you have to do is glue the bracket mounting block to the bottom side of the guard, the front hole is already drilled. This is done as the last operation to assure proper, and perfect, alignment.

 

I'm not sure how much easier you want it to be.

 

PS: I've considered changing my 345 over to the LONG GUARD, If you do make the swap, I'd be interested in the long guard.

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Hey L5Larry, thanks for the quick reply!

 

The Allparts pickguard was the one I was looking at. Would I use the same bracket that came with the guitar or would I have to buy another one to fit the short pickguard?

 

As for swapping pickguards with you, i'll definitely bear that in mind.

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